VSF 2010 Report - Nabo

Occupation Phases of Structure 10
Structure 10 contained two main occupation phases, each associated with a different floor
layer and a different layout of features. The hearth, which was present for both occupation
phases, had been badly disturbed when the building was abandoned. It was composed of
many flat stones, some of which had been layed on their edge up against the cut of the
building in its southwest corner, where they helped to prevent the collapse of the gravels
into which the pit for
the building had been
cut (unit 10018,
Figure 4). These
disturbed hearth
stones were
associated with wood
ash and charcoal,
which contained
some calcined bone
and shell fragments,
and spread from the
southwest corner of
the building towards
its centre. This ash
layer butted up
against a very
compact, trampled
turf layer, which
appears to have been
placed on the floor of
Figure 4. The disturbed hearth with its associated wood ash and charcoal
deposit, unit 10018, facing south.
the building in order to infill a slight depression (unit 10020). This trampled turf deposit
was just slightly overlapped by an extensive, gravelly, organic-rich occupation deposit that
covered the northern half and eastern half of Structure 10 (where it was clearly part of a
raised platform), which suggests that organic matter accumulated on these parts of the floor
during the occupation of the building (unit 10022; Figure 5). This layer, which had many
flat stones on it that must have served as post pads, contained a few bone fragments, as
well as as stone weight – probably a loom weight (F-8; see Gísladóttir, this report). This
gravelly occupation layer slightly overlapped the main floor deposit associated with this
later phase of the building, unit 10024, which varied in thickness from 0.5-4 cm, was very
compact, and very black, being composed of very finely comminuted charcoal fragments,
as well as minute fragments of poorly preserved burnt and unburnt bones (Figure 5). This
black floor layer was contemporary with (and had a diffuse boundary with) the soft black
and light grey wood ash (unit 10027) that filled the stoney base of the corner oven, unit
2028.
The black floor layer 10024 was bounded on its north, south and east sides by a low
platform, around 15 cm thick, which was constructed of gravel with flat stones on it (unit
10029; see Figure 6). The flat stones were organised in a clear line along the western edge
of the platform in the eastern half of the building, serving to strengthen the edge and
maintain it at right angles to the floor. Like the mixed gravel and organic silt occupation
layer that accumulated on top of it (unit 10022), this platform contained a stone weight,
which was probably a loom weight (F-9). There was some overlap in the flat stones on the
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